Replacing a Light Fixture

by Dinah Wulf

I have never replaced a light fixture before, and since I started blogging I thought I’d better try and do it myself. When I mean “myself” I mean my husband (haha!). Replacing a light fixture is actually a lot easier than I thought.

Here is the fan before. It’s nice but not our style. I didn’t want a ceiling fan in here because the airflow is so nice with all the windows anyway.

First, we made sure that we turned off all the power. Next, we carefully removed the plate. It took both of us, because the fan is so large, awkward, and heavy. I held it as my husband carefully unscrewed the plate.

While taking the old fixture off we found this nail. It was stripped and took forever to get out… could it BE any longer? Geesh…

We followed the instructions carefully and we successfully replaced the light in no time. I suggest wearing goggles and a hat because pieces of falling paint or plaster in your eyes or hair is not fun.

If you prefer to see it on video, I found an awesome one and a half minute video tutorial on replacing a light fixture for Dummies from Dummies.com. It’s short and sweet!

Here are a few after shots. It still needs a little pizzazz, but it’s a good start. It is much better than standing at the counter while eating dinner for the last few weeks for sure!

Dinah is a craft, home décor, & DIY Blogger for www.diyinspired.com, an eco-friendly site promoting repurposing through reinvention. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Speech Communication from California State University Fullerton. Formerly an educator at CSUF and business owner, she now is a full time writer, Curator for Style Me Pretty Living, 3M DIY Expert, and a member of Martha’s Circle. She has blogged for multiple websites including Fix.com, Earth 911, Home Made Simple, and Sprout Online and has been published in a few magazines and ebooks. Her website, DIY Inspired has been recognized by Mashable, Parenting.com, and Buzzfeed.